The Rose and the Thorne: Changes
by mat528
Summary: A "What If" story set in the "Rose and the Thorne" universe dealing with an alternate universe Doctor 11. This is not set in canon with the series, but is one of my "Alternate Universes" tales.
1. Chapter 1

The Rose And The Thorne: CHANGES

**A/N: In view of David Morrissey being in "The Next Doctor", I decided to do a story in the "Rose and the Thorne" universe about the possibility of Rose having to cope with a new Doctor. This story occurs after they have been joined in the Gallifreyan equivalent of marriage.**

**For those who are wondering, I still am doing and plan to do 10/Rose stories, in this universe and in others, but I just wanted to explore the possibility of our mental energy vampire getting to know a different Doctor. This is kinda a "what if" story, so it is out of canon with the BBC series.**

**As always, the usual disclaimers apply.**

CHAPTER ONE

Rose's eyes followed the movements of the Doctor as he checked the TARDIS's console for any systemic damages. They had been back from the planet Graknauk and the caves containing the poisoned gas for about a week; a week that was, in Rose's opinion, the most taxing week of her young Time Lady's life.

They had landed there to seek yet another part of Rose's overall cure; the Doctor having said that the gases there, in a more concentrated form, might provide a purging effect from her body of her vampiric urges. What had happened was anything beyond what they could have both forseen. An explosion from the compressed gasses, something which, had they both gotten clear would have been minor given their Gallifreyan healing abilities, ruptured through the catacombs. The Doctor managed to throw Rose clear, but had not had time to save himself. It was only by the will of Rassilon, or sheer providence, or both that she had managed to save her husband, her _bi'no'nau, _from being totally burnt to a crisp; thereby negating any chance to regenerate.

Rose dragged the round faced, freckled Time Lord back to the medical area inside the TARDIS, and after switching on the tissue renewal device to take care of the third degree burns, she settled down to wait. The TARDIS tried projecting images of happier times shared between her and the Doctor on the adventures they'd experienced, and she melded with Rose to keep the Time Lady mentally stable. The Doctor had even regained consciousness, his tissues healing, his skin becoming the paler shade she had known, rather than the red hued, burnt shade she had seen recently.

His mind touched hers briefly, but she could tell from the way his thoughts flickered in and out, much like a candle that was losing its light, that her husband was dying. No tears fell from her hazel eyes as she tried to remember that this was just another normal event in a Time Lord's life; that regeneration was really like breathing. Her mind knew that. Her hearts were a different matter.

Rose saw the massive light covering the Doctor and the instrument panel readings indicating erratic heart beats, an unusually high metabolic rate, as well as very erratic mental synapses before the light dissipated, leaving normal readings again. Her Bond mate did not stir, but just mumbled slightly in his sleep, his hand drifting toward hers. As she gripped it, Rose's first impression was that it was bigger, his fingers larger than the Doctor she had known. His hand dropped again, hanging limply on the side of the bed. He turned on his side, facing her despite his eyes being closed. Rose could see that in addition to his hand changing, his face had changed. She knew from studying the various pictures of him, from even contacting his deceased other selves, that this was the eleventh form of him, his eleventh body.

She studied his face. It was slightly more square than rounded, smoother than the grungier tenth persona she had known and bonded with. His hair, while still dark brown, was slightly lighter than chocolate brown. It was also more curled in front and longer on the sides than his predecessor's had been. His nose was more aquiline, not quite the hooked nose that his tenth body had sported. Rose stared at him as she saw it twitching, as if the Doctor were sniffing the air around him. She saw his slightly larger lips curling into a smile. Unlike the tenth doctor, whose smile was very broad, this Doctor's smile was more like a smirk; the left side of his lip going up, the other side of his lip staying down.

The sheet had fallen for a moment, revealing his chest through the open shirt Rose had attached the medical instruments to. She saw a less thin, more muscular chest. The chest had more hair on it, but not too much. Before she could get a better look at it, the Doctor started to rise slightly, but then settled back down when the effort had proven too taxing for him. Rose jumped back when, all of a sudden, his eyes popped open. She saw that the brown eyes were gone, replaced by dark blue eyes, darker than the deceased Ninth Doctor's she had "met" mentally along with his previous selves, but lighter than her former Master's. For a moment, husband and wife stared at each other. Then, without warning, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand. His eyes closed as he slipped back into unconsciousness, but his hand remained where it was, its grip strong and sure.

Rose tugged her hand away, leaving the medical area and going to the bedroom they shared. She stared at his place on the bed and sank down beside it, finally sobbing hearts' wrenching sobs. She lay down, turning on her side toward the armoire, unaware of the blissful, dreamless sleep when it overtook her.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Rose woke up suddenly as she felt something touching her shoulder. She turned on her back to see the Doctor beside her, still wearing his pinstriped jacket with the white shirt underneath, still in his new body. She didn't know much about the regenerative process, since Koschei had not told her much, nor had he shared that process the few times their minds had touched, but she did know that once it had taken hold, there was no going back. The Doctor murmured, his arm straying toward her. Rose saw that it had less hair on it than she was used to. When his hand made contact with hers, she went white as a sheet. She remained rigidly still, not wanting to wake him.

"Rose..?" the Doctor whispered softly. She noted that, in addition to his other differences, his voice was lower, definitely a baritone this time, the Cockney accent of the previous Doctor almost completely gone.

He opened his eyes and sat up, turning to regard her. Rose didn't move a muscle but remained perfectly still. The Doctor frowned, the side of his lip turning down.

"_Rhy'an'a?" _he asked. He saw Rose's face, which had a look of…fear, loathing, disappointment? He reached out to her mind, only to find it blocked off. The Doctor's eyes were confused, then sad.

"At least talk to me…" he said. Rose got up from the bed and stood in front of the closet, facing him.

After a moment's pause, Rose told him "You should change." He glanced down at his pinstriped outfit and nodded, his eyes staring at her.

"Already did that," he said, then when he saw the stricken expression on her face, muttered, "sorry. Poor joke." He got out of bed, the shirt completely open, his legs not covered by pinstriped pants. She saw that they were also very muscular and powerful, like a runner's legs. He reached out to touch her cheek, but she dodged him. The Doctor's hand dropped and came to rest by his thigh.

"Maybe _I_ should go shower…change clothes, then…" Rose said meekly.

"I could join you, if you'd like," the Doctor offered.

Rose's eyes had a trace of fear in them. "No, I'd rather go it alone, if you don't mind," she said sheepishly. The Doctor's eyes dropped from her line of vision. He didn't let his wife see how hurt he was. He waited until she had left the room, not wanting to drive her further away than she seemed to be.

"She hates me…" he said inside the room his wife had vacated.

_That may be too strong of a word, _he heard the TARDIS saying inside his mind.

"Oh, really?" he asked his ship, a trace of derision in his tone. "What would you call it?"

_I'd call it apprehension, maybe some anger that you changed so rapidly, certainly sadness at not being able to say 'good-bye' to the you that she bonded with, but __**not**__ hatred, _the TARDIS said. The Doctor paced back and forth, the brown jacket and white shirt flying as he walked angrilly.

"Why didn't she just tell me that she didn't know completely about the regenerative process?" the Doctor wanted to know. "Why didn't Koschei tell her?"

_Perhaps he never got around to it, _his ship commented.

"Or, perhaps he never wanted to tell her," the Doctor said. "Would be just like him, to leave her in the dark about things like that, to make her that much more agitated by just letting her be surprised by it all!"

_I won't begin to comment on what he might have thought, _the TARDIS told him, _but I do know that she needs to know about the process before it happens to her._

"How can I tell her? Educate her?" the Doctor moaned. "She won't even come within fifty miles of me!"

_You don't tell her right now…_his ship advised. _You give that Time Lady all the time she needs. Give her the chance to get to know you all over again; then, when she is comfortable, you will share with her the regenerative process._

The Doctor nodded his assent. As he made his way to another bathroom to shower and shave, he knew that the old girl was right. He stepped into the expansive shower stall, letting the TARDIS wash him with warm, soapy water. He lifted his eyes heavenward, hoping that Rassilon, Omega, and whatever deities or Time Lords were out there would give him a chance to make things right with his wife.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

XXXXXXXXXX

Rose continued to appraise the Doctor in the console room, looking at the way he moved with a sort of languid elegance that had not been present in his previous body. She saw the new clothes that he had selected only a few days before, and decided that at least his choice of an outfit had not been bad.

She recalled how he had been standing by the mirror, looking at the camel colored leather jacket; the red, white and grey shirt with the bold, geometric shapes; and the dark black pants he had finally selected. The pants hugged his bum appreciatively. Rose prided herself on knowing a good looking bum. At least, that had not changed. Her mind back in the present, Rose was about to leave the console room when she heard his voice.

"Oh, there you are!" he exclaimed. Rose turned to face him, her expression unreadable. The Doctor saw that in the past week and a half, she had not warmed up to him, but he knew that Rome was not built in a day, even when he'd quoted that saying to the Romans.

He remembered how, the first day they'd been together in the dining room after he'd talked to the TARDIS, Rose had been cordial, but in a detached way. He had tried to be patient with her, but suffering from the strain caused by regeneration had not done him any favors. He had thrown his napkin down in a fit of anger and fixed her with a fiery, blue eyed glare.

"_Dammit,_ Rose!" he snapped. "What will it take to get a rise out of you?!"

Rose stared at him, not afraid, but not knowing what her next move should be. The Doctor tried again, this time calmer. _"Rhy'an'a…"_ he implored her. "Let me prove to you that I am the same. Let me bond with you. Once our thoughts connect, you'll see that I'm not as different as you think."

"No…" Rose said softly. "Stay away from me, Doctor." The Time Lord tensed at her not using his more familiar name, Theta, but of his title. He looked at his mate as though she had ripped his hearts out, which, in a way, she had.

"_L'bi'no'nau…" _he said in perfect modern Gallifreyan, _"bi'fo' kau' au swas try…"_

"I will not bond with you," Rose had said flatly in English. To emphasize her point, she repeated her words in Gallifreyan, _"Na'nos'tra l'bin'kau!" _She had bolted from the dining room table then, going to their room and gathering some things, moving into another bedroom that wasn't far from his, but wasn't the one they had shared for the past four years, either. The Doctor had stormed out after her, but when the TARDIS cut off his pursuit, he angrily strode into the console room.

"Fine!" he had shouted, his lips twitching into a frown. He took out his tool box and did the two things he did best: brood and repair something.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Rose had retreated to the library to also brood. She took a book entitled, _Gallifreyan Poetry, Vol. I, _and started to read. Before she got past the table of contents, the book disappeared, leaving another in its place.

"All right!" She cried to the TARDIS. "What's the big idea?" The Time Lady stared at the book the ship had given her: _The Regenerative Process: A Comprehensive Study. _

_You've got more important things to learn besides poetry…_the female time travel device told her.

"He'll tell me all about it! What do I need a bloomin' book for?" Rose cried, crossing her arms defiantly. She felt a twinge of pain inside her head from the ship.

_You wouldn't let him near enough to even say 'hello' to you, much less have any real kind of conversation with you about regeneration. You have alienated him from your mind, refusing to let him share his thoughts with you. It is time that this mental separation was ended, _the TARDIS said inside her mind.

The Gallifreyan woman stared down at the book once more. "Okay…" Rose said hesitantly, "where do I begin?"

_You might start by seeing what your bi'no'nau Theta is up to, _the ship suggested.

"I don't want to see him!" Rose shouted. "I don't want to bond with him! I want him the way he was, not the way he is now!"

_That's impossible, _the TARDIS told her softly. Rose sank to the floor, her turquoise dress swallowed up by the thick, lush, dark carpet in the library. She buried her head between her shoulders. The tears had been spent over the past week. Now, all she felt was the coldness of abandonment, and beyond that, betrayal. She could sympathize with how the Master had felt about her once.

_I know it hurts, even for a Time Lord or Lady, but you need to let him know how you feel, _the TARDIS advised. _He needs to know __**all**__ of your feelings, the good, the bad, and the ugly._

Rose's head shot up as she protested, "But he's a complete stranger! Do you know how that would feel, letting someone different invade my mind, my thoughts?"

_He's not a stranger, _the ship countered. _Only his body has changed. His mind is still the same…_

"Yeah?" Rose spat back. "He doesn't act the same! He doesn't _feel_ the same!" The TARDIS let the Time Lady have a chance to collect her thoughts by not saying anything.

"I don't think I can do this. I want a dissolution of marriage," Rose told the ship softly. "I wish to leave…"

_You don't want that…_the TARDIS said.

"Yes, I do!" Rose yelled.

_If that is what you truly want, then don't tell me, _the time traveling ship said, _tell __**him**__. _She felt the ship withdrawing from her mind and went to find her husband.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor slid out from under the control panel to see Rose staring at him. "Well, that's one thing that hasn't changed…you still like repairing things," she commented.

"Gives me time to think," the Doctor said. He hefted himself off the floor, tossing what resembled a double sided wrench into the tool box. After grabbing a rag and cleaning his hands, the Time Lord looked at his mate warily.

"Did you want something?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Rose looked about, saying after a moment, "How are you feeling?" The Gallifreyan ran his hand through his hair much like his previous self had done on many occasions.

"Fine…" he murmured, then added, "well, actually, _not _fine, fine. My back's killing me…"

Rose came behind him, kneading the space between his shoulders with her smaller fist. The Doctor groaned inwardly, wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms, spirit her to any bedroom, and show her his desire to be one with her again. He moved her hand to his lower back, and she massaged the kinks out.

"Rose…" he ventured.

"Wha'?" she returned, continuing to rub his sore back.

"I was wondering if, maybe, we should go somewhere," the Time Lord ventured. "Someplace where we can relax and get to know each other better. I mean, the TARDIS is all right, but maybe we've been cooped up in here for too long. Maybe we need some fresh air and the kind of solitude you can't find on a ship."

"You just want to have another adventure," Rose pronounced, smiling at him.

He looked to the side to see his _bi'no'nau _grinning.

"Okay," Rose said. "Where would you suggest?"

"Dunno…" he told her. "You pick a place."

"Your knowledge is much more extensive," she bounced back. She finished her massaging.

The Time Lord grabbed his wife's hand, rubbing the back of it in small, erotic circles. Rose pulled her hand away, although this time, she was not as insistent about not wanting to hold his hand as she had been before. The Doctor spun around, his eyes smiling. He didn't make any further moves to touch her, but the look in his blue eyes told her that he was grateful for her small concession.

Rose decided that maybe the TARDIS had been correct. Maybe she could go with Theta to whatever world he chose and get to know him all over again before deciding whether or not to go ahead and dissolve their union. The Doctor turned his attention back to the control panel, programming in several coordinates, looking at the monitor intently as the TARDIS fed information to his eager eyes. Suddenly, the ship stopped.

Rose glanced up at the screen, seeing a world not unlike Hawaii on her Earth. There were mountains covered with lush, green grass and trees. Some of the peaks were also covered with snow, although not too much. Apparently, it was springtime on this world. The sky was bluish grey, again similar to Earth. In fact, the only thing which differentiated the planet from her old home was that the Time Lady saw one small moon and, beyond its bluish white hue, another moon which was only one eighth the size of the first one.

"The planet of Exerticon," the Doctor said, peering at the screen.

"Will we be alone there?" Rose asked. The Doctor responded in the negative.

"No, there are settlers there. Overall, the world doesn't contain too many people on it," he said. He handed her a white piece of paper. Rose looked at it, reading aloud.

"Rope, chalk, swim gear…" she frowned up at the Doctor, inquiring, "what's all this for?"

The Doctor raised a brow, saying, "Exerting ourselves. I thought that, maybe, the best relaxation might actually be to pound out the stress by strenuous physical activity. That's where this world comes in." Without giving his wife a chance to respond, the Doctor left the console room, saying over his shoulder, "Pack two bags. I'll meet you outside in fifteen minutes!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Rose settled her backpack on her shoulders. She zipped up her hoodie and jeans, then looked her husband, who had changed into a similar outfit. The blue sweats with the white stripe along the sides complemented the blue in his eyes very well, she thought. He threw on a jacket, complete with everything they would need on this special excursion. He handed Rose a dove grey jacket, and she removed her backpack, resettling it over the jacket when she had slipped it on. She gave the Doctor his 'sack. He attached it to his broad shoulders.

"Where do we go?" Rose asked.

The Doctor pointed to some mountains which had several tent like structures on top of them. "We go up," he answered. "That way."

After securing the metal harnesses and ropes to the nearest rock face and rubbing their hands with chalk, the Doctor and Rose started climbing.

"You said that this was…" Rose stated, pausing for a breath, "a physical planet…".

"Yes," the Doctor responded. "The planet of Exerticon believes in physical fitness to the exclusion of most else. The people regard exercise almost as a religion. They say that working off ones miseries is conducive to feeling better emotionally."

"So, the beings here _never_ relax?" Rose queried incredulously.

"They do, but only after several hours of extreme physical conditioning," the Doctor told her. "In fact, there are no lifts or escalators to any of the bungalows or campsites. The natives either swim, swing on tensile vines, kayak, hike, or climb the hills and mountains to get to their destinations. That's what we're doing!"

"But, your back…" Rose protested.

"You nursed it back to optimum health," the Doctor said. "Besides, this hill we have to climb is not too bad." He took the lead, sticking his foot into one of the harnesses they had placed into the rock face. Rose took a moment to admire the musculature of his leg, licking her lips in appreciation.

XXXXXXXXX

Presently, the Doctor reached the top of the hill, removing a pair of binoculars from his knapsack. He handed them to Rose, who reached the top mere seconds behind him. She saw the beautiful view of peaks, trees, and sky, unmarred by skyscrapers, untainted by industrial waste.

"'S beautiful," Rose breathed, awestruck. The Doctor looked at her back, his mouth going suddenly dry.

"It is, isn't it?" he asked, his eyes firmly fixed on her. Rose lowered the binoculars, passing them behind her to her husband. The Time Lord grabbed some tree branches and whacked a tree two times. Two inhabitants, a young man and a slightly older woman, swung over to meet them.

"No ape man garb?" Rose whispered, too low for anyone but the Time Lord to hear. The Doctor glanced sideways at his mate, but then looked at the greeters. The man was at least six feet tall, with very dark brown, almost blue black skin. Like the man, the woman was humanoid, about fifty years of age, with sports glasses wrapped around her head, her brown hair with tinges of grey at its sides. Both were lean, fit, and sported army gear.

The woman smiled at them warmly, reciting, "Bond mates Theta Sigma and Rose Tyler-Sigma. We welcome you to our community. I trust your excursion has been a strenuous one thus far?"

The Doctor took up the slack, saying, "Yes. We had quite a climb in arriving here. Most enjoyable."

It was the man who spoke next, saying, "I am Lokan and this is my mate, Rashida."

"How do you do?" Rose asked. The Doctor said simultaneously, "May your activity flourish this fine evening."

The pair of greeters handed a card to the Doctor and Rose. As the Time Lady studied it, Rashida was saying, "This is your activities list. Look it over, and if you have any questions or wish to change the sports you want to engage in, let us know. We weren't sure which bungalow you wanted."

"I was waiting for my wife to decide," the Doctor told Rashida. She nodded her approval at his response. Lokan handed some tensile vines to the two Gallifreyans.

"We will swing closer to the tourist dwellings so that you can get a better look," he said, demonstrating the swinging motion the Doctor and Rose were to follow. Within minutes, all four of them were in front of the bungalows.

Upon closer inspection, Rose saw that what appeared to be simple huts from a distance were anything but close up. They looked more like wooden tents, with windows which were able to expand from a small circle to a wide, panoramic view. The windows ran all around the exterior of the bungalows. The brown structures had doors which opened with a sliding mechanism. Coming out of the doors were people who wore almost the same clothing that Rashida and Lokon wore, but the people's attire had a small disc bearing the name of the bungalows in the sector the Doctor and Rose were in.

The grounds outside the bungalows were meticulously cared for, and Rashida was describing the flowers which were outside of them. Rose saw one in particular that she wanted to get a closer look at. She tugged the Doctor's arm, pointing to the flower.

The Doctor looked at the small, pink bud, its fragrant scent catching his attention. He looked at Rose, who divided her attention between the guides, the grounds, and the flower, and he wondered how it would look in her beautiful hair. He remembered how a victim's fear of roses had formed the basis of how they'd met. He had been looking into a series of mind alterations on Earth, and had subsequently been kidnapped by the Master and his pet, Rose. A sword fight and Rose's desire to be cured of her vampirism brought them together.

Over the past few months of their first year, they had come closer and, eventually, decided to bond with each other, despite Rose's initial dislike of him. Her desire to feed on mental impulses led her, both before and after their bonding, to depend on him, and he depended on her greatly. In an insane universe, both husband and wife, or _bi'no'naus _("Bond mates,") as Time Lords and Ladies had been called on Gallifrey, kept each other grounded, focused, sane. As the Doctor found out their first night together, they also made each other happy, sharing more than just simple thoughts and random mental impulses.

For four years, even facing such odds as Koschei, the Daleks, and the Cybermen, as well as many other threats, the Doctor and Rose stood against them together, linked by a common thread. For four years, they felt desire, love, perfect symmetry through their mind-linkage, and they were never apart. Until now…

The Doctor's mind stopped its wandering as he realized Rose was asking him something. "What was that?" he queried.

"I _said _'what do you think about the small one'?" Rose repeated.

"Whichever size you select will be fine," the Doctor responded. Rose pulled him to the one between the other two. This one was a medium sized structure, the one on the left the smaller one; the one on the right being the largest. Rashida and Lokon opened the door using a card key.

The door slid open to a series of stairs, wooden and perfectly polished, with the faint scent of herbal cleaning agents used only moments before, Rose guessed. The stairs were on one end of the massive room, and on the other. They went up and down in a zig zag design, and any visitors the time travelers saw were either walking, running, or jogging up and down them. The servants were doing the same, bringing trays of food to various chambers throughout the bungalow. The polished wooden floor leading to the stairs was in mahogany finish, and adorning the walls were flowers and vines artfully arranged, or being swung from.

"What does one do during the relaxing time?" Rose asked, using the slang term she had seen on their activities card.

"Many things. For example, each chamber is equipped with its own temperature controlled tub surging up from our hot springs," one of the servants told her. "Many mates like to rest in the tubs and let the oils therein remove any muscular discomfort after a hard workout. There are also mattresses which are designed for better sleeping…"

She let her report trail off as she opened the door to the Doctor and Rose's room. Rose found that it was quite spacious, which surprised her greatly, since she had expected more primitive surroundings.

"Surprised?" she heard the Doctor's voice in her ear. His cool breath tickled her lobe, and Rose felt the stirrings of desire. She banked it down, however, shaking her head no. Her husband took that moment to go over to one of the windows, where he slid open a semi circular blind on one side. As he did so, the window expanded.

"Rose, sweet…look at that view!" the Doctor cried, a kid in a candy store.

Rose slowly walked over to the window, and together, they looked at the vistas of the dwellings nestled amongst a multi-colored sky. She looked at the room, taking in the green chairs and couch which seemed to be carved from vines. The vampiric Time Lady sank into one after removing her backpack, surprised by its softness, but keeping her face from showing it. The Doctor didn't sit in the chair next to her, but instead sat on the couch across from it. He ran his hand along its Kelly green length, marveling at the smooth, yet soft texture. When he had divested himself of his own pack, he relaxed on it, leaning back into it.

As the Time Lord nodded in approval, he also watched the servant open the door to the bed chamber which did have a king sized mattress covered with a white, coarse looking cloth resembling burlap. Rose walked with the servant into the room, asking, "is there another bed chamber? I mean, one that a person can use if they have guests?"

The servant pointed to a room which, upon the door being opened, Rose saw was a smaller one but not too small. "Thank you," she said, asking the servant's name.

"I am Bina," she said. Rose introduced herself and the Doctor, and the Time Lord rose from the couch, giving Bina a tip. Bina smiled, telling them the customary way to summon her if her services were required.

"Nice girl," the Doctor observed. He sat on the bed, glad that the material was soft even though it looked coarse. Rose's eyes had followed the blonde haired, young woman who had shown them the room when Bina left them alone. The Doctor rested his head with his arms behind it, yawning.

"Tired?" Rose asked, coming up to the bed.

"Yeah, lots," the Doctor answered. "Regeneration always takes a lot out of a Time Lord or Lady. You'll find out eventually."

Rose sat in a small chair beside the bed which had been laced together by blood red vines. "Was the first time painful?" she wanted to know.

The Doctor responded, "Well, it isn't a walk in the park, but some transformations run more smoothly than others." He remembered his first transformation from the white haired old gentleman to a smaller body with black hair and wearing baggy trousers.

"That one wasn't too bad. I had the TARDIS helping me through it, and I had been ready to die for quite some time, so I had prepared myself," he said. He turned on his side and faced her, gauging her reaction.

When Rose didn't say anything but merely stared at him, the Doctor went on. "I was old, nearly three hundred and fifty. I could tell my body was wearing out; in fact, I had told two of my traveling companions, Ben and Polly, that the old body of mine was wearing a bit thin. Neither of them, being human, knew what I meant, but I knew that it was only a matter of time," he told her.

"What about the last time?" Rose asked.

The Doctor's face took on a faraway look. He turned back to his previous position, considering a moment. "It wasn't as painful as many of them had been. Even though I had been burnt by the explosion, the tissue rejuvenation machine helped me deal with the pain. It had subsided to a dull ache by the time I changed," he said.

"Do you prefer the way you are now, or the way you looked then?" Rose pressed, suddenly curious. The Doctor's head turned. He studied her for a moment before choosing his words.

"I actually like aspects of both," he answered truthfully. "That nose on that body had to go. But I like my eyes, and I think I got a better backside this go around, at least in looks, anyway."

_Sure did, _Rose thought, then shook her head to clear her mind of her errant thought. The Doctor didn't say anything in response, but she caught a flicker of mirth in his eyes and she realized her thought had betrayed her just then.

"I do miss that dippy thing my hair used to do, hanging over my face on that body," he commented lightly.

"Me, too," Rose agreed. _In fact, I miss so many things about you…_she let her thought hang, hoping that she had generated sufficient mental power to not let him hear it. She looked at the Doctor, who seemed most interested in studying the list of things they could explore.

Rose went into the living space, saying over her shoulder, "Think I'll go for a walk."

"Yeah, go on," the Doctor responded, keeping his voice even. When she returned into the room, her knapsack in her hands, she asked him if he needed anything.

"Nope," he responded, jerking his head to the back of the room. "There are some meditation mats in the guest room for Yoga. I'm going to do that…get my post regenerative trauma under control."

Rose started to go to him, not sure how she could help, but the Doctor told her softly yet firmly, "Go. I'll be fine."

When he knew Rose had gone, the Time Lord stroked the bedpost, his frowning face showing that he had felt every part of Rose's last thought toward him. _I miss so many things about you…_she had said.

"I'm still here, _Rhy'an'a," _he said sadly. "I'm still here…". He went to the guest room and sat on the Yoga mat, meditating.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Rose walked through the woods, not really studying the floras that were in them. She let her thoughts wander a little, wishing that she could see her Doctor once more.

"'S impossible," she murmured to herself for the hundredth time.

"What is?" a voice asked from behind her.

Rose turned to see a brown haired man who was about the same height as the tenth doctor had been, except that his eyes were grey, and his face was more heart shaped than round. He also didn't wear pinstripes, but had the usual army gear that most of the people she'd seen had worn.

"Sorry…do I know you?" Rose asked coldly.

"No, not unless you've traveled this road for the past several mornings," the man told her. "I don't recall seeing you here."

"I'm just visiting with my husband," Rose replied. The man's eyes saw the sadness in her face; his head bobbed up and down in sympathy.

"Not a good marriage, eh?" he asked knowingly.

"What are you, psychic?" Rose criticized.

"I don't have to be to know you're very sad…upset," the man told her. They walked for a moment before she stopped to get her bearings. Rose could see the bungalow she and the Doctor shared in the not-too-far distance.

"What about you?" the Time Lady asked. "Are you married?"

"I was," the man told her. "I lost her three years ago."

"Sorry I made you think of it," Rose told him. "Did she die?"

"Yeah," the man said sadly. "I try to forget, but I can't think about anything else." He gestured around him to boulders, bushes and trees. "This was the path we walked, you see."

"How long were you married?" Rose wondered.

"Five years," the man said. He extended his hand. Rose shook it, marveling at how similar it felt to the tenth doctor's.

"I'm Daynon," he said. Rose pumped his hand then Daynon let hers go.

"Rose," she offered. They walked some more, then Daynon turned to her.

"So, you said you're here with your mate?" he inquired.

Rose nodded, confirming, "I'm in the bungalows in the Tajal sector."

Daynon whistled, saying, "Nice area. I mean, if your husband brought you there to the best bungalows on the planet, he must be trying to impress the hell out of you!"

Rose considered that. She was pleased that the Doctor had gone through so much trouble for her, but then she thought that maybe he was just trying to win her back for superficial reasons. For all she suspected, he could have just wanted to not be alone anymore. The Time Lady talked herself out of that notion, or at least she tried to, but the nagging negative thought wouldn't leave her mind, not entirely.

Daynon and Rose walked for about another hour, but then came back the way the Time Lady had come. "I should go back," Rose said, adding, "check on him. He was a little under the weather when we came here."

"Good idea," Daynon said. "Maybe we'll walk the same path again."

"I'd like that," Rose replied. She walked the side stairs to the Doctor's and her room, feeling for her card key in one of her pockets. Before she could use it, the door swung open to reveal the Doctor, who had a moment of fear in his eyes.

"I was worried, Rose," he said. "Thought you'd— _gone for good, _his mind said.

If Rose had picked up on his thought, she gave no indication. "Jus' lost track of time, that's all," she apologized. She looked at the Yoga mat, which was now in the living space.

"Did you have a good meditation?" she asked, genuinely concerned that he recover from post-regenerative stress.

"Yes, I did," he said. "I'm glad we came here." The Doctor smiled his smirky grin and picked up the activities card on the table by the couch.

"We can plan our itinerary for the morning," he told her. "Sunrise should be in about, oh, fifty-three minutes, give or take."

"Actually," Rose told him, "I'm hungry for food. Are the eateries nearby, or do we have to hike to them?"

The Doctor shook his head. "They're right downstairs," he responded. "Only a short walk." He let Rose walk in front of him, picking up an impression and a name before they left their room.

"Who's Daynon?" the Time Lord asked.

"Just someone I met while I was walking," Rose answered. The Gallifreyan male saw a flicker of Daynon's image in Rose's mind and felt a slight echo of jealousy. Knowing that those feelings could be self-destructive, the Doctor concentrated on what he and his wife would order for breakfast.

"I think I'll go with you later on today," he said. Rose walked on, totally oblivious to her mate's murmur.

XXXXXXXXXXX

They reached the breakfast hall just as the waiter brushed past them. The restaurant wasn't particularly crowded; only a few patrons were sitting down to eat. A host came over presently. Unlike the other guests and attendants, this one wore jeans and a solid colored big shirt with buttons down the middle.

"Two for breakfast?" the host inquired. The Doctor nodded. The host gave the Time Lord a menu and another thick book.

"Andre's setting up the stage," the waiter said. "Should be ready in a mo'."

"Stage?" Rose repeated. "What does he mean?"

"Well…" her husband said, a little sheepishly. "Remember how this planet stresses all kinds of physical activity? You have to sing for your meal, quite literally. Where you end up sitting, the food you are allowed to eat, even the amount of the bill is governed by how well you perform."

"What about those who can't sing?" Rose wanted to know.

"You can read poetry, play an instrument, or recite a line from a play and be judged by that," the Doctor replied, "but bottom line is: you have to participate in _something." _The Gallifreyan male rapidly scanned the book with his eyes, flipping through pages of songs with notes. In the background, Rose saw the piano keys being tuned, and the microphone being switched on.

"So, how 'bout it?" the Doctor asked. "Fancy a go at singing? I know what _I _want to perform: a pop tune from your former home planet…"

"No way in bloody hell would I let you up there!" Rose cried. "I've _heard _you sing! You wanna get tossed out by your bum?"

"Really, Rose!" the Doctor exclaimed with mock hurt pride. "I've always wanted to sing music ever since I attended Woodstock, and anyway, I sense that my singing ability is exponentially improved with this body…"

The vampiric Time Lady fixed him with a determined look, saying, "No."

The Doctor crossed his arms, lips going into a full pout this time as he resembled a two-year-old who doesn't get his way. "You think you can do better?" he issued a challenge.

"I wouldn't know," Rose admitted. "I never sang when I was a child."

"Since we didn't bring any instruments from the ship with us and since you're hungry for food right now…" the Doctor said, pulling his wife closer to the stage.

"Oi!!" Rose protested. The Time Lord paid her no mind. He called for a waiter loudly. One came over speedily.

"Yes, sir?" a waiter asked. The Doctor thrust a livid Rose forward. She managed to crack a smile towards the waiter, but as she glanced back at her mate, her eyes promised the Doctor that body number twelve was not that far off. The Doctor's response was to smirk.

"What's the matter, Rose?" he asked his wife when the waiter walked to the stage and told Andre about Rose after the Doctor had introduced her.

"Are you a coward?" the Time Lord pressed.

"What if I can't pull this off?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shrugged, saying, "Then, we just eat outside on the camp grounds. The worst that can happen would be that we wouldn't be able to have breakfast in this particular establishment, and after this meal, how often do we need to eat, anyway?"

Rose glared at him again. "Okay…" she said, admitting defeat. "But I'm _only_ doing this because I brought up the idea of breakfast, and because we have to do this to _eat_ something."

"Sure, _Rhy'an'a,_ sure," the Doctor agreed, smothering a giggle. Rose scanned the book, reading and memorizing the songs therein. When she found a number she thought she could perform, she nodded to Anton, who escorted her to the side of the stage.

"And now, put them together for…the Songstress!" Andre announced. The Doctor took a seat off to the side, not wanting to disturb Rose. There was polite applause, and the musicians started playing a soulful tune_. _

_If I could, I'd give you the ages…_Rose sang, _wrap time all around you, and capture you in my hearts…_

As she wrapped her fingers around the mike, there was a hush as she gave what the Doctor thought was the greatest performance he'd ever heard in all of his lives.

_Love like ours is once in a lifetime, forever, and never apart…_Rose sang on, in a throaty voice. When she sang, her eyes met and held his.

She continued to sing, giving the song life. Every patron was silent, waiting to hear more. When the song had finished, there was a brief moment of silence, then thunderous applause. Anton asked Rose if she would do another number, but she begged off, saying that she was hungry.

The waiter escorted the couple to the best table in the house, which as it turned out, was outside. As Rose studied the menu, the Doctor looked at his wife with total awe in his eyes.

"Didn't know you could sing like that…" he said softly.

Rose blushed, smiling.

"My new life is complete," the Doctor teased. "I got another smile from you." He recalled the one she had given him in the console room and he hoped that maybe, if this little trip worked and nothing interfered, she would smile for him more often.

After they placed their order, the Time Lord shifted his position so that he sat next to Rose. He took the activities card from her and activated scanned it. "Here," he cried, pointing to one of the many events. "I always wanted to _do_ this!"

"What?" Rose asked, looking at the section of the card the Doctor pointed to.

"Lavalleing," the Doctor replied, his eyes twinkling. "So much fun, or so I've heard!"

Rose frowned, turning over the word in her mind. "Sounds like la-vall-ing! What is that, exactly?"

"No, Rose, not la-vAll-ing…" the Gallifreyan male corrected, "_la_-vling! Means riding over a lava fall, much like riding over Niagara Falls on Earth in a basket!"

"Um, Doctor, I hate to burst your bubble, but even with our ability to adjust our temperatures to adapt to different climates, that would be a tad warm for us," she said dryly. "We'd be burnt to a crisp!"

The Doctor thought about his most recent death. He remembered the pain from the burns he had suffered, but in view of that, or perhaps because of that, he knew he had to get back on the proverbial horse and face what could become a fear of being burnt. He communicated as much to Rose. Her eyebrows twitched, but she didn't say anything. She looked down at the activities card again and came to a decision.

"What would we have to do?" she asked.

"As far as I know, they give you a suit which is designed to withstand temperatures up to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The tube which goes down the lava fall is also designed to withstand extreme temperatures," the Doctor said.

"Sounds dangerous," Rose murmured.

"A little…" the Doctor conceded. "But isn't that where the fun begins?"

Rose stared at him, commenting, "You're a danger magnet, you are!"

"And you're _not?_" the Time Lord jibed, staring right back. "Those that have survived the megalomaniacal terror that was Koschei have no right to criticize!"

During their dialogue, the Exerticon sun took that moment to peek over the horizon. Other tourists and some of the restaurant's staff gathered to look at it. The Doctor spotted the sun out of the corner of his eye.

"_Rhy'an'a, _look!" he whispered.

Rose saw where he was staring and turned to look at it. The sun on the planet was smaller than Earth, but larger than her planted memories of the Gallifreyan sun were. It bathed the mountains in light, and caressed Theta's hair and face with a soft halo. Rose turned back to see the Doctor, still staring at the horizon with a wondering look on his face and found herself comparing him to the previous one yet again. The tenth doctor, like all of them or so she suspected, always looked at new sights with wonder and amazement. It was one of the things she had loved most about him.

After the nature show, the tourists resumed their eating, and the staff brought some water to the tables.

"I think I'll shower," Rose said, rising from their table. The waiter hurried over to give them a meal card for a week's worth of meals.

"For your wonderful performance," he breathed. "Please, feel free to visit our food station anytime you are ready." Rose thanked the waiter and promised to come some time in the future. The time travelers went upstairs to their room to get ready for the adventure lying ahead.

XXXXXXXXXXX

While Rose showered, the Doctor contacted the front desk to get their equipment and register for the excursion. After emerging from the shower and getting dressed an hour later, the vampiric Time Lady walked into the living space to see Bina leaning over the Doctor's shoulder, showing him how to attach the tubes leading into the suit and adjust the knobs for filtered breathing. Rose's hazel eyes blazed for a moment before she cleared her throat loudly.

The Doctor and Bina looked up as her husband said, "Oh, Rose! Ready to go?"

"Yes…" Rose said slowly, not taking her eyes off of Bina.

The Doctor crossed over to the room Rose had exited. "My turn to get ready," he said. "I'll meet you downstairs." He left the two women alone. Bina caught Rose's expression and looked confused.

"Is there anything I can get you?" she asked.

Rose's eyes narrowed somewhat as she contemplated feeding on Bina. She squelched that idea; she didn't want to get mental indigestion, after all.

"No, thanks," Rose said in a cold voice. "We have everything we'll need."

She took the extra suit from Bina, and the guide to the activity both time travelers were about to do. Bina left, still looking bewildered. Presently, the Doctor emerged in a white suit with the tubes on it. He walked over to the knapsack and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, scanning the suit.

"Setting for temperature control and atmosphere should be at 57 for us," he pronounced. Rose nodded. She pulled her suit over her sweats and set the dial just as the Doctor had indicated.

"Bina seems _very_ helpful," Rose said, starting a conversation. "Was she here long?"

The Doctor responded, "She had just gotten here." He felt a decided chill in the room coming from Rose. His mind reached out to see what was upsetting Rose, but she still remained blocked off.

"What is it?" he asked. "Are you worried about me?" Rose decided to fib a little; she didn't want to tell him the real reason she was distressed.

"Well, you only just recently regenerated," she said. The Doctor came over to stand behind her. He gave her a hug and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Don't worry. I'm fine," he said. "I'm not just saying that. This regeneration is one of the easier ones."

"You would know more about it than I do," Rose said flatly, walking out. Her husband wore the same clueless look that Bina had sported earlier. The male Gallifreyan wondered if he would ever understand women in any species, even if he lived a thousand lives. He followed his wife out the door, grabbing the sonic screwdriver and the other equipment they would need.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

The capsule wound its way through a river made of lava that was similar to lava on Earth, Rose noted, but flowed more easily and didn't seem to harden. The device was white, with huge windows all around it affording a spectacular view no matter which way a person looked. The glass was covered with a thin material which resembled plastic but was probably much denser, the Doctor guessed, as he touched it. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the glass.

"Plastonic," the Doctor commented. At Rose's questioning look, he explained. "Denser than regular plastic, but, like us, able to adapt to and withstand certain temperatures."

When she touched the window, the female time traveler marveled at the surface. "Why does it feel so smooth and light, then?" Rose queried.

"Excellent question!" the Doctor praised. "Even I don't have an answer to that one, but I suspect that the factories where they make this will."

"I thought this world didn't have technology like that," Rose murmured.

"They might get some of these materials off world," the Doctor replied. "Perhaps we can go to one of the surrounding planets after our time here. Should be a fascinating study!"

The Time Lady nodded, turning to look at something else. She studied the lava they rode on and as the capsule started going faster, pictured the images she had seen of the Colorado River with its rapidly moving waters and kayakers boating across it.

The Doctor also gazed at the lava outside and the people who he spotted on the riverbanks staring at the capsule. Other tourists, mostly couples and some singletons, were also marveling at the speed at which they traveled and the fact that those inside the capsule were on moving lava, but were not feeling too hot, nor were they burning up in the temperature controlled suits they all wore.

The tour guide was a tall man who was willowy and had a graceful air. The guide's suit was a dark navy and had the insignia LavFalls Corporation on its front. His tan skin glowed under the lights in the capsule as he proceeded to tell the tourists about the formations of the lava rocks.

"Greetings. My name is Tanashire, and I am your guide for this trip. I have been conducting this tour for quite awhile now, so feel free to stop me if you have questions," he said, fixing everyone with a dark eyed look that was warm and inviting.

When people either nodded or murmured the usual "may this excursion be full of activity," greeting that was the norm on Exerticon, Tanashire launched into an explanation. "Billions of years ago, when this planet first formed, the initial lava falls were born," he began. "We are preparing to travel over some of the newest of these falls."

"How long does it take to harden?" a female tourist asked, curious.

"On average, it typically can take 200 years to harden, although our scientists have seen some recent lava formations which only took somewhere in the vicinity of 20 years. However, on this planet, one of the most unique things about our geography is that the lava river that you are sailing on flows into a whirlpool at the end of the fall. The ground under which the river and whirlpool are located is constantly insulated so that it does not harden right away. This particular strain also is, as you may have already noticed, less thick than many other types; hence, it flows like water rather than syrup. This results from the higher temperature, which can range from 4,370.1 to 5,530.7 Celsius."

"Can you swim in it?" one of the wives joked. There was polite laughter as her husband came closer to her.

"Well, you wouldn't want to swim in _these_ rivers without your suit and the helmets that we give you, and a very competent guide," the tour guide said in a teasing tone. Again, there was polite laughter.

"Most lava tends to be in the range of 1,250 degrees Celsius, isn't that correct?" another man with a boyish face asked.

"That is correct," the guide answered.

"What about the rocks with the people we saw? How long did it take for those particular ones to harden?" the Doctor inquired.

"The lava we call 'solitus marna' hardens over thousands of centuries," the tour guide pointed to some rocks on some hills they sailed by in the capsule, "like those you just inquired about. Our experts are constantly getting temperature readings and mineral readings to be sure that traveling on the lava flows and over the falls is safe. Usually, during the summer months, the lava reaches a peak temperature of over 7,300 degrees Celsius give-or-take a decimal point or higher. Since our research on temperatures hotter than this lava river we are on is in its infancy, no capsule rides are permitted during that season, nor do the vacationers stay along the hills on this side of our world due to the rise in poisoned gasses and noxious fumes."

The Doctor and Rose absorbed all the guide said as the willowy man continued. "The helmets with the suits you wear do filter out most of the noxious gasses and odors, as do the specially designed structures on the hills for those who wish to live on this side of the planet, but despite the innovations we have made in higher temperature control, we still have a long way to go…" he said.

They approached the falls, and Rose peered out the window at them. The Doctor took time to study the rock formations. The color of the lava was more orange than red, and although the time travelers could feel the heat radiating from the fiery substance, the tourists found that they didn't seem as warm as lava on other worlds.

"How do you utilize the lava after it hardens?" the Time Lord wanted to know.

"There are several uses for the different types of lava when they dry," the guide answered. "Some are used in the formation of beautiful gems which are in the gift shops. The harder dry lava formations are used for the tools we sometimes utilize to build the very stairs you all used to climb to your bungalow rooms. We also just leave larger hardened rocks for tourists to walk on and look at the craters and also for walking through lava tubes…"

As the guide droned on, Rose spotted a familiar face in the crowd. She edged closer to where Daynon was standing in a brown suit which matched his coffee colored hair.

"So, is this your first tour?" Rose inquired.

"No, this is more like my sixth," Daynon replied. "My wife loved to come here. We would walk through the lava tubes. It was romantic to her."

"Romantic?" Rose asked in disbelief. "Wearing these suits?"

Daynon smiled a cheeky grin. Rose was once again reminded of her previous Doctor. "I couldn't wrap my mind around that one, either," he said.

"How 'bout you both? Did you come here to rekindle some dying romantic embers, or sommat?" Daynon queried, his eyes twinkling as he asked.

"The Doctor wanted us to get to know each other better," Rose replied, glancing over at the Time Lord, who was speaking to the tour guide for a moment.

"You don't seem as fascinated by this tour as he is," Daynon commented.

Rose looked over at him in total surprise. Twice, she was amazed at Daynon's ability to guess things about her that were spot on. "I'm worried about him," she said. The mental energy vampire didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust the coffee haired man.

"He was caught in an accident recently involving a gaseous planet," Rose said, remembering her saving of the Doctor so that he could regenerate.

"And he is here now because…?" Daynon prompted.

"He wishes to face something which, if unchecked, could become a phobia in time, or so he told me…a fear of explosions, or poisoned gasses," Rose answered.

"It sounds like you don't believe your husband," Daynon observed. "Maybe you should trust that he knows what is best for him, even if it does not appear to be like that."

"Maybe…" Rose mused, considering Daynon's comment. Before she could comment further, the vampiric Time Lady felt the current Doctor's hand on her shoulder.

She glanced askance and saw the Oncoming Storm gaze in his eyes. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" he said in an icy tone.

"This is Daynon," Rose said to the Doctor. To Daynon, she said, "And this is my husband, the Doctor." The two men shook hands, though Daynon's handshake was more cordial than the Doctor's.

"So, you're here on this tour, too?" the Doctor asked, appraising Daynon. The man nodded.

"I really had done everything else physical, so I decided to ride down the lava falls," Daynon answered. "Rose was asking me a question."

_Isn't that a kick…_the Doctor thought. Aloud, he said, "You could have asked _me _something. That's what I'm here for."

"So now you can answer how many times Daynon has done the tour?" Rose chided.

"No, but I'm sure he's done them so many times that they couldn't possibly interest him," the Doctor said, looking at the man.

"Actually, I like going down the rocks," Daynon said. "They seem to change with each passing day. There's always something new if one knows where to look."

"Yes, well," the Doctor responded. "There's a lovely rock formation over _there." _He pointed to a window on the other side of the capsule. "Go explore it, why don't you?"

"Theta!" Rose hissed softly.

Not wanting to cause trouble, Daynon said, "Yes…well, I'll just…go to where the rocks are on the far side, then." After he ambled off, Rose turned to the Time Lord and gave him a thunderous look.

"That was uncalled for," she said in a low voice. "We were just talking."

"From the way you were looking at him, I'd say that it was more than 'just talking'," the Doctor said. He took Rose's arm and led her to another section of the capsule, one which had less people.

"'You turnin' into a nutter or something?" Rose accused, her voice starting to rise.

"No, I just don't like the idea of him being so close to you," the Doctor responded.

"So, because you don't want anyone close to me, you just want me to spend the rest of the time in the hotel room or chained to you?" Rose accused.

"'_Chained to me?'" _the Doctor repeated. "Are you comparing me to a ball and chain?"

Rose crossed her arms and bit back, "You said that. I didn't."

"Well, you were _thinking _it!" her husband snapped. "Of course, one doesn't have to bond with you to know what you're thinking these days. It's not as if your thoughts are that deep."

Rose gasped. She drew her hand back and slapped him on his cheek. The tour guide came up to stand beside the feuding couple.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked, although the look on his face indicated that he knew at least some of what had transpired.

"Not anything that a month o' Sundays _away _from him wouldn't fix!" the formerly evil Time Lady spat.

"Well, if you find my presence that intolerable, I'll just remove myself from your space, milady!" the Doctor shouted. By this time, the other tourists started to stare at the couple. The tour guide was trying to keep the peace.

"Please, please," he said, trying to placate anyone he could. "There are only a few moments left before our group disembarks to look at the lava tubes close up. The tubes are big enough so that you can go off a little by yourselves and use that time to calm down."

The Time Lord and Lady looked at each other with daggers in their eyes. "As you say," Rose conceded. "I'll be lookin' forward to the separation." Her implication that she was talking about more than simply separating in the tubes was not lost on the Doctor.

"So will I," the Doctor responded. Both went to opposite sides of the capsule alone and were silent as they stared out of the windows. The tour guide went off to conduct the tour, and Daynon looked at the two time travelers with sadness.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

**A/N: This chapter is respectfully dedicated to some friends of mine: Cheri, who is my constant inspiration, my lemmings group, and Donald B., who helped tremendously with my lava research! LOL ******

A short distance from the top of the falls, the capsule floated to the left side of the lava riverbank and stopped. A group of stairs extended from the device and Tanashire took his place by the door.

"We are ready to go into the lava tubes, where you will be able to view and touch the rocks up close. There will be a point where you may remove your helmets; however, I would caution that you wear the rest of your protective gear at all times. I would also recommend that you do not venture off too far, and stay with the group. The rocks you will be walking on can sometimes be slippery, and treacherous. Also, please pay close attention to the areas which have signs indicating no trespassing," the tour guide instructed.

He glared at the Doctor and Rose as he spoke his next words, saying, "If anyone causes any disruptions, he or she will be placed in the next return capsule and will not accompany us on the descent of the falls later. Is that quite clear?"

Rose nodded. Tanashire seemed pleased with that. "Please adjust the temperature controls in your suits to your normal body temperatures. If you wish to take pictures, you may. You will want to have your photography devices on a setting for low light," he said. The tourists did so, and the guide opened the outer door. When the computer informed all on the capsule that the atmosphere and conditions of the tubes were stable, the tour guide opened the inner door.

The Doctor and Rose were the first to emerge. Rose looked about in wonder at the tubes. They were shaped like caves, but unlike most caves, there were openings at both ends. The black rock face also seemed less hard; more like shale or slate, rather than granite. Although the formerly evil Time Lady's nose wrinkled at the very faint aroma of sulfur, she could detect that it was not near enough to harm anyone. All of the tourists could also spot white striations throughout the rock formations in the tube. The Doctor took out his screwdriver and scanned the area.

"Amazing amounts of iron and magnesium, given the higher temperature which once kept this from hardening," the Time Lord commented to his wife. "I didn't detect anything that could harm us," he whispered. Daynon came closer to where the Time Lord and Lady were. He studied the Doctor's device with some interest.

"What is that gadget you've got?" he asked, curious.

The Doctor was tempted to snap, "none of your business," but instead he said, "oh, just a scanner I use."

Daynon said, "ah. I imagine you've used it to scan all manner of objects, then?"

"Upon occasion," the Doctor responded.

He moved on ahead, but was still one step behind Tanashire, as the tour guide took the explorers further toward the tube. Upon closer inspection, Rose could see that the tube was composed of an almost ropy surface, rather than the river like substance they had rode upon just moments before.

"Pahoehoe," the Doctor told Rose.

"What?" Rose asked.

The Doctor chuckled, explaining, "It's a Hawaiian term. Most of the lava on Earth is in the region of the Hawaiian Islands. 'Pahoehoe' is a smoother type of the lava we were on. It has a ropy or billowy feel to it." The Time Lord pointed to the roof of the tube, where Rose trained her superior eye sight.

"You can see the smaller lobes which seem to be changing and undulating. That's because, although there is low heat in here, there is a higher concentration just beneath the surface," he explained.

Tanashire sidled up to the time travelers. He said in a huffy voice, "You sound as though you know everything about these formations, sir."

"Well I really don't like to pronounce that I do know a lot, but…" the Doctor responded, smiling a genuine smile that wasn't a smirk.

"I suppose _you_ wish to conduct the tour, then?" the guide asked sarcastically.

The Doctor waved him off, saying, "No, no, you're doing fine. I wouldn't want to damage your ego too much. Go on, impress everyone with your knowledge. Don't mind me!" The Gallifreyan left to explore the other side of the tube, as some of the tourists made their way to where Tanashire was fuming.

"Don't mind him; he's just a sort of…genius of sorts, and sometimes, it's hard to keep him amused for very long," Rose said.

"I'm not surprised," Tanashire responded dryly. He went over to where an older woman was motioning him to assist her with her inquiry.

_Are you quite finished, insulting people? _Rose mentally asked her husband.

_Me, insulting? As if I could be, _the Doctor telepathically trickled back. Aloud, he said, "I was just going on about the formations and what makes the tubes. Really very fascinating, don't you agree?"

Rose's disgusted look was focused squarely on her _bin'no'nau. _"We'll talk about it later, all right?"

"As you wish," the Doctor murmured to his wife.

"As some of you might be wondering: the lava which forms most tubes is called 'pahonehoca', which comes from the ancient dialects on our world. It means, 'broken or soupy melted rock'," Tanashire said in an authoritative voice, stealing a glance at the Doctor. The Doctor started to respond, but Rose squeezed his arm. He frowned, but was silent.

Tanashire continued, saying, "You may have noticed that the tubes don't' have 'lavacicles', which are like stalactites hanging from a cavern. The long ones in some caves tend to be rare; even our team of experts doesn't exactly know why those types of rocks fail to develop over time."

"How long can tubes be?" one tourist inquired.

"Excellent question!" Tanashire exclaimed. He drew himself to his full height before he answered the man.

"They can be up to 14-15 metres long; however, the longest tube on our world is reputed to be over 20 miles!" he continued.

"Ohhh!" one woman cried. "That sounds so exciting! Is there a tour for that?"

"I'm sorry, but those tubes are closed off. The terrain is too slippery," Tanashire said sadly. "Of course, the museum, complete with telescopes and pictures of the tube, is still open. When we leave, I will provide directions. And now, if everyone will follow me…".

XXXXXXXX

The group walked through the expanse of the tube for about a half hour without incident, many of them snapping shots with digital cameras and the like; then, Tanashire announced that it was time to depart.

Their helmets fastened, the couples and singletons boarded the capsule and, moments later, the device began its slow descent down the river of lava. Rose went to the opposite side from the Doctor. The Time Lord frowned his displeasure, but for once, decided not to act. He noted, at least, that Daynon had not joined Rose in looking out the window she stood in front of.

Before the capsule reached the beginning of the falls, the Gallifreyan male became aware of a slight popping sound. Suddenly, the capsule jerked violently then stopped. People were thrown to the ground, and Rose assisted Tanashire in helping them up. An alarm whined throughout the ship as the Doctor saw a small hole in the outer window.

Cries of "what is it?" and "what's happening?" could be heard. Tanashire struggled to raise his voice above his charges as one lady screamed.

"Please, everyone!" the tour guide yelled. "It is probably a small malfunction. I promise that nothing bad will happen!"

The capsule remained stationary, but the Doctor could see that the hole in the side window was slowly expanding.

"Are we still pressurized?" the Doctor asked Tanashire.

"Yes!" he shouted, issuing a command for everyone to be calm. He glanced back at the Doctor, inquiring, "Why do you ask?"

The Doctor indicated the window on the northern side of the capsule. "_That_ is what made this device stop! There is a tear in the outer window, and it's getting larger!" he responded, crossing over to the location of the tear. He got out his sonic screwdriver, setting the device to the appropriate setting.

"What good'ill that do?" Tanashire asked, trying to keep the panic from his voice.

"Open the window's inner seal! If I can reach the outer opening, I can possibly repair it, at least temporarily!" the Doctor instructed.

"Right!" Tanashire cried. He went to the middle of the capsule, where he released a panel in the floor. A stand came up, and with it, an instrumentation panel. The guide punched in some codes rapidly, inwardly hoping his instruction to the computer to open the outer hull would work. The hissing sound could be heard by the other tourists as their eyes widened in terror. The Doctor hoped to Rassilon that he was not too late to fix the damage.

Behind him on the opposite side, Rose and Daynon spied the door opener. The brown haired male pressed the button marked "open" beside it to no avail.

"Inoperative!" he yelled to Rose. "I have to open it manually." The other tourists were screaming, their fear palpable. Rose went to some, touching them with her mind and issuing a mental command for them to calm down and to wait for further instructions. The screams and other shouts were momentarily lessened as Daynon concentrated on getting the panel beside the defective button open.

"Cover me!" he cried to the Time Lady. When he saw Rose nodding her assent, the man got out a tool from his pocket and went to work. A group of sparks buzzed as he took two wires in his hands, proceeding to connect them.

"Are you certain you can open the door?" Rose asked worriedly. Her eyes traveled to the Doctor, who was busy sealing up the rupture. Daynon connected some more wires, while, outside, the capsule drifted slowly toward the edge of the river.

The young, male tourist who had inquired about the degrees of the lava looked out of his window. His face revealed pure terror as he shouted, "Oh, no!" Rose followed his line of vision. It was firmly fixed on the steep drop the capsule was heading toward. The Doctor could feel the device rocking back and forth on its journey toward its fateful drop over the falls.

Her face looking determined, Rose shouted, "We don't have much time!" We must get out of here and swim to shore!"

"How?" a lady yelled. "That river is too hot!"

"Our suits are insulated! They should buy us enough time to swim for it, provided this device doesn't go over the falls!" another man shouted. He looked at Tanashire for confirmation.

"Right?" The man asked, afraid, but hugging his wife.

"That's right…" the tour guide said, struggling to project confidence he didn't feel.

Daynon checked the pressure indicator on the side of the door. "It's still reading normal," he pronounced. "Rose!" he called to the mental energy vampire. "When I open the door, start getting everyone out quickly!"

"Okay!" Rose yelled. Daynon operated the controls, and to everyone's relief, the door opened. The occupants felt the capsule shift its weight. It started drifting further away from the edge of the lava riverbank.

"Out of the frying pan…" the Doctor said as he surveyed the repaired rupture to make certain it held. He looked behind him, seeing Rose and Daynon handing the passengers out of the side door. Rose mentally commanded them to jump to the shoreline, which was still in view. As the last of the tourists jumped to safety, Tanashire leaped to the shore. The Gallifreyan, Rose, and Daynon brought up the rear. The thin tourist exited finally, leaving only the Time Lord and his Lady on board.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted. "Come on!" She checked to see that they had their helmets in place, along with the correct temperature readings on the Doctor's and her suits.

Inside her mind, Rose heard the Time Lord. _Rhy'ana…is he all right? _The Doctor asked, meaning Daynon. Daynon had vanished, it seemed, but as Rose viewed the shoreline, she saw with relief that he had made it, and the Doctor and she were the last two.

_He is unharmed! Hurry! _She mentally urged. The Time Lady and Time Lord leaped out of the capsule, into the lava river as the device plunged over the falls. Tanashire was backing the other tourists away from where Rose and the Doctor emerged scant moments later from the molten, soupy mess.

When he glanced at their suits, the Doctor mentally joked to Rose_ I'd hate to see the dry cleaning bill for these! _Seconds later, he was all business, as he asked in her mind if she was all right.

_I am okay, Thete. _Rose telegraphed back. She felt her husband's elation that she had used his name finally, but she withdrew yet again from his thoughts when she saw that the crisis had passed, at least for the moment.

"Check them," he instructed her. She reached out to the people closest to her. Although she fed on their thoughts, she also projected assurances to her husband that no one had suffered any ill effects from the horrible accident. The Doctor's eyes met hers for the briefest of moments, but Rose turned hers to Daynon. A twinge of envy tickled the Time Lord's mind before he felt the questions about what had caused the rupture invade his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

**A/N: More dedications to my friends Wiggiemomsi, SunnyTyler001 and many others who continue to inspire me to write this particular story, along with other ones.**

**Basically, no other notes abound, except that this chapter took a different turn from the original draft, but it sometimes works out that way. Anyway, on with the story!**

XXXXXXX

"The question is: what causes an accident which should never have taken place in the first place?" the Doctor murmured as he let himself and Rose into their room at the bungalow.

"Why wouldn't it have occurred at that point, or some other?" Rose queried, shrugging. "Nothing's perfect."

"I dunno," the Doctor muttered. "I just feel like something's off, like the glitch that caused that window tear was somehow planned to happen at that moment all along!"

He went into the bedroom and got his cell phone out of the knapsack they had brought.

"What good'll that do?" Rose asked. "There is no cell tower on this world."

"Which would be a problem if I was making a phone call, but I am not," the Doctor told her. "I _am_ tying into the TARDIS database, however."

The Doctor rapidly typed some information into the tiny keyboard that was built into the phone. "Amazing, eh? I remember telling the president of Orange, Inc., to put this feature into their E-touch phones. Ties into any database within a range of, oh, fifty miles, give or take." He brandished the phone in front of Rose so that she could get a closer look.

"Of course, _this_ phone has a much wider range, and it can go on for at least a year before needing to be charged," the Doctor continued. The phone lit up with a blue light as the Doctor pronounced, "I'm in!"

Rose watched as the Gallifreyan male said more to himself, "Now to tell the old girl to record and cross check the manifest of all on board the capsule…"

"I 'spose you're also going to investigate to find more information about the capsule to plug into the TARDIS' computer?" Rose asked.

"Yes," he said. Rose felt a twinge of sadness as she realized that she missed the Tenth Doctor's "yep" a little. She was starting to become used to her current doctor's speech somewhat, however.

"You want to come with?" he asked. Rose declined, telling him that she wanted to read a book she brought with her. The Doctor nodded, telling her, "I shan't be long."

When he closed the door, the Time Lady reached inside her knapsack and pulled out the thick book _Regeneration: A Detailed Analysis _and began reading.

XXXXXXXXX

The Doctor walked outside of the bungalow, breathing in the pure, clean air of the dusky sky. He had not been strolling for ten minutes before he bumped into Tanashire. The Time Lord could see that the tour guide was agitated for some reason.

"Oh," Tanashire said flatly. "Sorry. I didn't see you." He started to leave but then stood in place, as if he couldn't decide whether to stay or go. The Doctor studied the guide with interest.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked. Tanashire violently jerked his head 'no'.

"Certainly not!" he said huffily. "I must go!" His long, lean legs took off from the Doctor as though the guide wanted to be anywhere that was not there.

When the Gallifreyan male was certain that the guide was further along and wouldn't spot him, the Doctor followed the man.

Presently, Tanashire came to a series of trees and bushes. The Doctor ducked behind a nearby bush as the guide looked about to see that no one had gone after him. The thin, wiry man whistled a bird call and waited. The Time Lord grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket quietly, and pressed a button on it. Tanashire felt pools of sweat on his forehead. He wiped at it furiously, whistling yet again. An answering whistle came from a bush on the left side.

"Don't turn around," a voice whispered. The Doctor heard a voice that had a modulated audio system which made it sound tinny. Whoever this person was, they were very clever, and he couldn't help feeling a little bit pleased that this exchange would be a puzzle after all for him to decipher.

"You are late," Tanashire commented, irritated.

"I had to wait until an opportune moment," the voice replied nonchalantly. "What news do you have for me?"

Tanashire waited until a couple strolling by suddenly were well out of range before he continued, saying, "The inspector will come tomorrow morning to look at the ship."

"Which inspector?" the voice pressed.

"Bundlar," Tanashire reported. His contact didn't say anything for a moment, but soon there was a grunt of approval.

"You have done well, suggesting they use him," the voice praised.

Tanashire's heart beat faster. The sweat he'd had earlier was coming down much faster now. "I don't like this whole _thing!" _He cried, looking yet again about to see that he was by himself.

"You liked it when you found out you would get triple the pay for it!" the voice reminded the tour guide.

"Yes, but it's gone too far!" Tanashire wailed. "I never agreed to what happened! Suppose something had gone horribly wrong?"

"It wouldn't have!" the voice snapped. "I am a careful person!"

"But…" Tanashire started protesting.

"Just do as you're told!" the voice commanded harshly.

"Yes…yes, all right…" Tanashire responded hesitantly. "I suppose I should return, and be on hand for questions by the authorities."

"You do that!" the voice ordered. As the owner of it saw the tour guide leave, the person considered. There were starting to be too many anxieties on Tanashire's part. He had been necessary before, but the mysterious person was seeing him as a liability, one that should be dealt with permanently, if need be. Tanashire's contact withdrew from the bushes but did not stand up. The Doctor tried to see who it was, but he did not get a good look.

When he was sure the person had left, the Time Lord typed on the phone's keyboard, "Got that, old girl?"

An affirmative beeping sound registered over the phone's speaker. The Doctor typed in further instructions, then terminated the signal. As he walked back toward the bungalow, his brows knit in total concentration. Who, he wondered, had contacted the guide? What was their purpose in all of this? Oh, the Gallifreyan male knew that something had caused the capsule to malfunction; that was certain, but how had it been tampered with, and, if Tanashire did cause the rupture, what did he and his co-conspirator stand to gain from the murder or injuries of a half dozen people?

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, he relayed his findings to Rose. "So, the tour guide is to blame for the accident?" Rose wondered aloud.

"He was not alone. He might not have sabotaged the capsule," the Time Lord answered. "But he definitely is on the suspect list."

"Who do you think actually did it?" Rose asked.

"I'll have more background on the people we traveled with in a tic," the Doctor responded. "The TARDIS will text message me once she's done. I'll do an in depth study of the data concerning the occupants of the capsule, and soon I'll know if my idea concerning the other contact is correct."

"Do tell," Rose said, leaning forward in her chair eagerly. "Who do you suspect?"

The Doctor frowned, muttering, "You won't like it…"

"Doesn't matter, does it?" the Time Lady asked. "Someone did it who traveled with us, right?"

The Doctor peered at his wife, saying, "You didn't pick up any mental images of deception, did you, when you linked with some of them?"

Rose shook her head, but she commented, "'S just a feeling I have. You know: proximity. The person who did this would want a hands on approach to make sure everything went smoothly."

"Probably," the Time Lord agreed. "In any case, I will also know more about the mysterious voice once the TARDIS separates the three channels on that device the person had."

"You said you had a suspect," Rose pointed out. "Who?"

"The one who was so helpful in getting the door open," the Doctor told her. He looked at his wife to gauge her reaction. Rose's eyes blazed with annoyance.

"You have no _proof_ of that! So Daynon opened a door, so what?" she asked. "Doing that is simple wire crossing! Anyone worth a quid could have done it!"

The Doctor folded his arms, saying derisively, "Oh, yeah? Well, for your information, those types of panels are well concealed so that only a person with superior vision could spot them; yet in _mere moments, _3.5 minutes to be exact, your _knight in shining armor _was able to open a complex system and help everyone escape! Bit quick on the heroics, don't you think?"

"Shut it!" Rose shouted. "I won't hear any more about someone who saved us all!"

"Well," the Doctor yelled, "I wasn't exactly coolin' my heels where I was!"

Before the Time Lady could respond, a soft knock was heard at the door. The Time Lord let Bina in, grateful for the reprieve. The young servant had a worried look in her eyes. They looked squarely at the Doctor, not regarding Rose at all.

"I came as soon as I heard," she said. "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine, Bina," the Doctor reassured her. "We appreciate your concern, but we're none the worse for wear, as you can see."

Bina breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Thank the stars! I had thought…well, I had thought the worst!"

"Well, we're still here!" the Doctor cried cheerfully.

"Yeess…" Rose drawled. When the servant looked at her suddenly, she saw the Time Lady's expression. She looked fearful as she studied the Doctor's wife.

"That is…I mean, I'm glad you are _both _okay!" the younger woman stammered, blushing furiously.

"We are," Rose replied coolly, "but we're also knackered after today's happenings, so why don't you bugger off now, yeah?"

"Oh, of course," Bina said apologetically. She quietly withdrew and closed the door.

After she had gone, the Doctor asked Rose, "Are you narked about something, or is it just me?"

"Specify," Rose responded airily.

"You were ready to tear her head off when she was only being polite," the Doctor scolded.

"Is _that _what it was?" Rose said sarcastically. "Well, blow me _down_!"

"What is your problem with her?" the Doctor cried. "You have been trying to find fault with Bina ever since we met her!"

"And you haven't wanted to do the same with Daynon?" Rose countered. They both stared at each other, their thoughts unreadable, before the Doctor realized what was really troubling his wife. His arms on his hips, the Gallifreyan man threw his head back and laughed himself silly.

"You gone potty, or something?" Rose asked, totally livid at the Doctor, her cheeks red with anger.

The Doctor continued guffawing, with tears in his eyes, before answering, "No, I haven't.

I'm quite normal."

Before Rose grunted a reply, the Time Lord exclaimed, "I find your behavior flattering, _Rhy'an'a. _You've made my century just now. In fact, you've made my millennium!"

Rose crossed her arms, snorting. The Doctor closed the distance between them as he gently took her hands in his. He encroached upon her emotions, tiptoeing on Rose's jealousy, bracing himself for her throwing off his mental onslaught yet again, but she let him into her mind just a little; just enough for him to whisper upon her feelings.

"But what about Bina?" she asked suddenly, her jealousy softly returning.

"She is a child," he asserted. "You are a _woman_. There's no reason for you to be jealous." He hugged her tenderly. What surprised Rose was that she let him. What surprised her even more was the comfort she felt from his hug. Never once did she remember that he was a new man, a new Doctor.

"We're about the same age…" Rose whispered in his ear, though her doubts were rapidly fading. He pulled apart from her, but not too far.

"Chronologically, you both probably are," he asserted, "But mentally…emotionally, you are very much a woman: the woman I crave now, later, for all eternity."

"You do? Crave me, I mean?" Rose whispered, wanting to be absolutely sure.

The Time Lord studied her for a long moment; then, he told her, "_Never _doubt it. When Koschei first turned you…into the Time Lady you are…you were a little girl…" _Now, you are a Goddess. My Lady of Time, _he thought inside her mind, throughout her soul. She felt his mind start to go deeper into her thoughts. Rose sighed as she let him have access. Maybe, she thought (though she didn't think this thought to him), this was the time. Maybe she could bond with him totally now….

Before they could share each other's thoughts and feelings any more, a sound knock was heard at the door.

_SHA'STI'CA!! _He thought inside their heads. She felt him withdraw, as he said out loud, "Someone better be dead, or on the brink of regenerating!!"

Rose stifled a giggle as he opened the door to an extremely upset Tanashire. The tour guide hurriedly came inside the room, crossing to the drapes, totally oblivious to Rose's disappointed look, and the Doctor's murderous one.

"We need to talk…" the guide said to the Doctor.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

"_We need to talk…" the tour guide told the Doctor and Rose._

The Time Lord looked at his wife and sighed. Although the Doctor lived for the excitement and danger of not just sitting around, he found that this one time he was actually upset at having been disturbed, especially when he was starting to make headway with Rose. He prayed to Rassilon that whatever the guide had to say would not take too long.

"Why didn't you use the land lines, or something else, to reach us?" Rose asked.

Tanashire went to the windows and glanced outside. When he was satisfied that no one had seen him, he closed the wooden shutters. The guide sat down in one of the easy chairs.

"They could be traced. My…_friend _is very crafty," he replied. He wiped at his sweating brow and looked down at his hands, which were crossed in his lap.

"So, what's this about?" the Doctor asked. "Why do you want to see me, and how did you find out where I was, anyway?"

Tanashire sidestepped the question, saying, "I can't tell you here. I came to see you after verifying that I had the correct room. I couldn't trust anyone else with what I must tell you. I considered sending a tree signal via the tree branches, but even that may be noticed. The less visible I am the better."

He stood up and crossed to the front door, saying, "Meet me later on tonight, at eleven, at this address." Tanashire handed a paper to the Doctor. The Gallifreyan male and Rose studied it for a moment.

"The old warehouse?" the Time Lord asked.

"Yes," the guide said. "What I have to show and tell you later should be very illuminating." He opened the door a crack, not enough to leave a wide gap, but enough to see if anyone was in view. No one was about, so the tour guide exited, walking down the steps and pulling a hooded jacket over his head.

As Tanashire walked outside, breathing a sigh of relief, he failed to see a lone figure looking intently at him from the shadows between the bungalows. The person calmly lit a rolled _plat'nauk _weed, inhaling its marijuana-esque fragrance and taking a long drag. The eyes of the stranger glazed over as the person grew calm. There had been doubts in the mysterious person's mind about what needed to be done; now, there was a peace that only smoking the highly illegal plant could insure. The best part was that, now that a great plan had taken hold, the guide need not be murdered.

The stranger had many qualms about killing; the most significant being that if there were a body or even a hint of foul play, the resulting investigation might lead itself back to the stranger's door. This way, everyone would come out a winner, except maybe the tour guide who had stabbed the being in the back. As the stranger finished the small, yet powerful weed, the booted foot crushing it beneath, the being realized how fortunate it was that there was a relative who was an herbalist. The person went inside the bungalow to the phone which resided in the lobby.

After speaking the usual greeting, the stranger said to an older woman, "Mother? I need a favor…".

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The clock chimed eleven as the time travelers made their way to the old warehouse. The musty smell which assaulted their nostrils confirmed the disuse of the older building. As the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to disable the rusted lock, Rose looked about and reached out with her mind to see if there were any unsavory elements lurking. After a moment, and when the Time Lord nodded, Rose opened the door.

"What's the story with this place?" Rose asked.

"This warehouse used to be where the capsules were stored, but it was abandoned in favor of more space as the rides got more popular. So, this one is used for storage. I remember coming here once, long before I met you." the Doctor answered, peering into the darkness for any sign of the guide.

In the darkness, Tanashire whispered, "Doctor…".

The Doctor's and Rose's ears perked up as they heard the guide call them. Rose pointed ahead, shining a spare screwdriver the Doctor had provided earlier that day as a torch.

"Straight ahead," Rose said softly to her husband. The Time Lord and his Lady walked to some boxes which were covered with dirt.

"I'm so glad you came…" the guide told them.

"All right," the Doctor said impatiently. "What are you on about?"

Tanashire drew a breath as he said, "That capsule you and the others were on? It was sabotaged, and the cable, too." He pulled out a section of tensile cable. It was slightly covered with some of the lava the time travelers had swum in that day.

"What cable?" Rose wondered aloud.

As the Doctor peered at the cable, the guide answered, "In the early stages of testing capsule rides, the designers and engineers discovered that while the lava river holds the capsules in place without any cable while traveling on it horizontally, the shifting and displacement of weight when going down the falls is not enough to keep it from freefalling. They developed the tensile cable you are studying to keep that from happening. It attaches to the capsule automatically before the descent down the falls."

"But we drifted yesterday…" Rose began saying as the Doctor noticed the end of the cable.

"See, here…" he told Rose. "_That's _what caused us to drift. The cable was severed, expertly, I might add. The end isn't frayed, or even burned off. It has a smooth edge. Someone cut it prior to the capsule's attachment to it."

"But surely the persons checking the lines would have found that it was damaged long before connecting it to a capsule and replaced it," Rose responded, also looking at the metallic rope. The Doctor showed Rose the cable once more.

"Look again. The incision is a very small one; just enough not to be detected, but more than adequate to break under the strain of the added weight of passengers and a crewman," the Doctor replied. "This way, the accident could be explained away as simply happenstance and by the time anyone was the wiser…"

"The evidence would have been long gone," Rose said. She looked at the guide, saying, "So what's your part in this?"

Tanashire didn't respond right away. Rose advanced on him, accusing, "You cut the cable, eh?"

Tanashire shook his head emphatically, saying, "No! I didn't, honest! The metal these cables are constructed out of needs a very special cutting tool to sever them. I don't have access to that kind of technology!"

"But I'm willing to bet a significant amount of credits that you know who _does_ have the capacity to sabotage not only the rope, but also the window," the Doctor said.

Tanashire's eyes widened. He thought about what could happen if the Doctor and Rose turned him in. At the very least, he would be out of a job. At the very worst…well, the guide shuddered thinking about what could occur if his contact suspected him.

"I had nothing to do with any of that!" the tour guide pleaded. "I just…"

"You _what?_" the Doctor asked. As Tanashire hung his head sadly, the Time Lord continued. "You may not have sabotaged anything, but you are still just as guilty. You looked the other way didn't you, accepting bribes, and paying or at least contacting inspectors of these so called 'accidents' to write them off as such and not probe any further?"

Tanashire looked away from the couple, but nodded glumly. When he turned his head back, there were tears in his eyes. "I never meant for any of this to go as far as it did, but it's gotten out of hand!" he exclaimed. "I feel horrible!"

He started pacing as, his voice getting louder, his speech faster and more clipped, he said, "I didn't mean to do it! But I have a family: a wife and several children. I don't get paid much to conduct these rides, and I thought I could earn some extra credits on the side. I didn't mean any harm!"

"What about your family?" Rose asked, disgusted with Tanashire. I'm sure they probably love to ride the lava capsules. What if something tragic happened to them?"

Tanashire said grimly, "That's what I thought about when I decided to contact you!"

"Have you told anyone else about this, like the authorities?" Rose asked.

Tanashire looked at her with annoyance, crying, "No, and I'm not going to! Don't you get it?! This person, my contact, has the authorities on a silver platter. If I say anything to them, I and my family will disappear! I don't want that to happen!" He stopped pacing, saying to the Doctor, "When I saw you repairing the window, and heard your depth of knowledge, I knew that you could aid me. You could maybe confront the contact, or you could take the evidence to the authorities!"

The guide started to make his way to the door. "I need more than just this cable to go on," the Doctor said. "Who is your contact?"

Tanashire's walk to the door was faster as he said, "No, I can't! As I told you, this person will kill me! Just because they haven't before, doesn't mean there won't be a first time…".

"You said you wanted my help," the Doctor pointed out. "To do that, I need the name of your friend."

Tanashire hung his head, but came to a decision. "Yes," he finally agreed. "I _must_ tell you who my contact is. The name of the contact is…".

Before he could say any more, the guide felt a prick resembling a mosquito bite on his neck. He rubbed his neck and, feeling dizzy, staggered to the door. Hiding in the shadows the stranger silently cheered at having found the target and put another needle in the blow gun. Rose heard a hissing sound, and saw the Doctor rubbing his neck.

"Doctor…what?" Rose asked, but saw Tanashire going outside, a blank look crossing his features. The guide took in deep breaths as he recovered after several moments.

"Tanashire, are you okay?" Rose queried, following him. The guide looked at her as though he had never seen her before in his life.

"Tanashire…?" he asked blankly. "Who's that? And, who are you?" Rose gripped his arms and used her mental energies to probe the area. When she realized that she, the Doctor, and the guide were the only ones registering any thought energies, the mental energy vampire stared at Tanashire. She released his arms as Tanashire stared at her, totally confused.

"I repeat, who are you both?" the tour guide asked the Time Lord and Lady.

"Exactly what I would like to know! Who are you both?" the Doctor responded as he walked up to Rose and Tanashire.

"How much do you remember?" Rose asked her husband, extremely worried. The Time Lord scrutinized her.

"You look familiar, at least," the Doctor told her. "Do we know one another?"

"Yes," Rose responded. "We are married." She didn't add the strain that their relationship had been under lately. The Time Lady then thought about taking Tanashire to a doctor, but what could she say to the physician? And anyway, even if they could help the guide restore his memory, he and the Doctor were extremely vulnerable since whoever had put them in the memory-less condition they were in was still out there.

Rose considered using her powers to do something, but she realized that without knowing what placed both men in this condition, she didn't dare use her vampirism to touch their minds. She glanced at her husband, who was smiling a confused grin. As she viewed the Doctor's face, she happened to see a very small object protruding from the left side of his neck. Rose brightened and, closing her eyes, concentrated on the TARDIS.

"What are you doing?" Tanashire asked.

"Jus' calling a friend," Rose responded, opening her eyes. In less than three seconds, the guide and the couple heard a grinding noise and saw a blue box not five feet from where they stood. The Doctor cocked his head to one side and stared at the object, fascinated. Tanashire looked at the box, totally bewildered. His confusion became more evident as he saw Rose take a key out of her pocket and turn the lock.

"We're gonna fit inside there?" the guide asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but it looks awfully tiny for three people."

"I agree," the Doctor said. He reached out and touched the sides. The Time Lord jerked his hand back as he felt a pulsing. He stepped back when he heard a pleasant humming sound. Rose entered the box, not waiting for her husband or the guide. The Doctor examined the side of the box, spying a phone. Lifting the receiver, the Time Lord's eyebrows knitted together in total confusion when he heard neither a dial tone nor any sound coming from the phone at all.

_Don't be frightened, _he heard a voice say. _Come inside. _The voice repeated itself over and over again in his mind.

"Maybe we can go inside…" the Doctor said, feeling remarkably calm.

"But, how?" Tanashire asked. "That thing is too small like I said a moment ago."

The Gallifreyan male didn't respond, but instead entered the box. Seconds later, the guide heard a whoosh of breath, followed by a "blimey!" Tanashire tentatively entered, and then was gob smacked at what he saw. He looked at the high ceilings, the brown walls with the hexagonal circles throughout, the two chairs and the console panel.

The Doctor stared at the room and at Rose in total fascination. The wiry tour guide backed out of the room and found himself outside, staring at the blue box.

_H-how is this possible? _He thought, going slowly back inside.

"…is your ship?" he heard the Doctor ask Rose with awe in his voice.

"Actually, it's yours," she told him. "This is the TARDIS, which is a device we travel in."

The Doctor ran his hand along the control panel and was surprised to feel a pulse of living energy almost like the ship was connecting with him somehow.

_My Doctor, _he heard the voice in his mind saying, _I bid you_ _welcome. _The Doctor reached out with his thoughts, at first hearing nothing. He boldly tried again and was rewarded with a pleasant mental hum inside his mind.

_Who are you? _The Doctor telegraphed. _Do we know one another? _

_Very well, _the TARDIS thought back. _I am your ship. I am the TARDIS._

_Rose mentioned that just now, _the Doctor thought, _but I don't understand._

_You __**will**__ understand, _his ship telegraphed back. _I will help you, and so will Rose._

The ship mentally touched Rose's mind next. _Rose…you must aid your bi'no'nau. He can help cure Tanashire._

_What must I do? _Rose asked the TARDIS. The time travel device inputted instructions into Rose's consciousness. After several moments, the Time Lady turned to the two men.

"Come with me," Rose told the Doctor. To Tanashire, the mental energy vampire said, "please wait a moment." She gestured to a chair, saying, "You may wait here."

"But, I want some answers first," the guide said. "What is all this? Is this a high priced medical transport of some kind? How is it that this is _bigger _inside?"

"Oh, it boils down to the fact that this is dimensionally transcendental," the Doctor responded without hesitation. He looked in amazement at Tanashire and Rose.

"Did I just say that?" he wondered. He then answered his own question, commenting, "sure sounded like me." He turned over the phrase in his mind, continuing by asking rhetorically, "do I understand what I just said? Yes…yes, of course I do!"

"But…what does that mean?" Tanashire inquired, perplexed.

"Means that the inside is from a different dimension than the outside," Rose answered.

"So you're not a medical doctor, but a space or a…_time_ traveler?" the guide wondered.

"It's a bit complicated," Rose responded. "See, my husband _is _a doctor, _the _Doctor, in fact."

"The voice inside my mind said that," the Doctor said. He rocked back and forth on his heels, liking the sound of his title. "Feels right somehow," he commented. He kept turning the title over and over in his mind.

"So…" he began conversationally. "We're married, and I'm a--" he caught Rose's mouth opening to correct him and added, "—_the _Doctor."

The Doctor looked around at the room again. He strolled to a panel on the wall and ran his fingers along it. The panel lifted to reveal a screen. The screen showed the warehouse across from the ship. The screen lowered again, earning a "fan—bloody—tastic!" from the Time Lord. He turned to Rose and the guide.

"And this is my medical transport, eh?" the Doctor asked. "I suppose I built this transport, did I? I must be _brilliant!_"

"You didn't exactly build it," Rose clarified.

"Well, I must have done _something _in the way of constructing this ship," the Doctor said. "I mean, she talks in my mind as if I had a hand in creating her…"

Tanashire looked from one person to the other. "Her?" he murmured. The Time Lord paid him no mind. He was trying to reach out to the ship once more.

The guide backed away slightly, not wanting to trust either nutter he saw. What had he stumbled into, coming into this nut house with these two people? How could he escape?

The Time Lord looked at Rose, asking, "Tell me, Rose: have we been married long?"

Rose responded, "About four years."

"And, do you communicate with my ship, too?" the Doctor asked.

"I can, if she wishes it," Rose answered, "but since she is your ship, the TARDIS primarily communicates with you." She tugged on her husband's camel colored jacket telling him to follow her. Before they left the room, the couple looked at Tanashire, who by this time had backed up to the front entrance. The guide spun around, then his eyes widened in horror as he saw that the front door had somehow vanished, leaving him trapped inside!

"Where is it?!" he yelled. "I _know _a door was here!" He felt the walls, trying to see if he could spot a means by which he could escape. When he found none, he whirled on the couple.

"What did you do with the door?" he angrily asked the Time Lord and Lady. "And _don't _tell me that there bloody well _wasn't _one!"

"Why are you asking me?" the Doctor asked, his voice rising slightly.

"If it's _your _ship, you had to have hidden an exit _somewhere!" _the guide snapped. "Let me out right now!"

The Doctor came closer to the tour guide, saying in a consoling tone, "Now look, Mr. …whoever you are…we're not going to harm you." He glanced at Rose, adding, "At least, I don't think we go around harming people." He turned back to the wiry man, saying, "I mean, if I am the Doctor, I would think that would be confirming that I _save_ people, don't you think?"

Tanashire thought about that, and then said warily, "If that's so, then where's the door gone off to?"

Across the room, a door materialized. Rose crossed over to it, saying in a loud voice, "Oh, _look!_ Here it is! You must have been mistaken about where the door was!" She opened the door to a corridor. The Doctor stepped outside, feeling as though he had roamed the corridors all his life, or at least most of it.

Tanashire tentatively stepped into the hallway, still puzzled as to how a small box could contain a larger hallway, even if it was 'dimensionally transcendental' as the Doctor had mentioned. He knew that the door had somehow shifted its location. Somehow, someway, he had to leave this place. He realized, though, that if this was their ship, he was at their mercy, at least for the time being, and he had to play along. He also wanted desperately to remember if he was named Tanashire, as the woman had said, and why he still felt a slight pain in his neck. He followed the Doctor down the corridor, Rose bringing up the rear.

The Doctor continued walking at a pace which indicated that he knew the ship very well. He walked down the hallway, sensing that somehow, the rooms contracted, as though they were folding back for him to aid him in his journey. Behind him, his worried guest and his wife kept up with him. The Gallifreyan walked for several more minutes before he came to a dead end, except for a single door.

"Oh," he said dejectedly, "ran out of rooms. Inconvenient!"

Rose didn't comment that the TARDIS had probably planned it that way, and that, if they had all wanted, they could roam for the rest of their individual lifetimes and never reach the end. Curiosity overtaking him, the Time Lord opened the door to a large room which did indeed look like a medical facility. There were several monitors littering the walls, with tubes connected to them. In the center were beds with wheels. The beds resembled stretchers but for the fact that they had more room. There was also a table with some concentric circles in its design. The Doctor crossed over to the table, looking at the dark wood base of it.

He murmured, "This looks familiar somehow, but…" He frowned as he saw that the symbols seemed to be different also.

Rose stood behind him, and, beside him, Tanashire glanced at the circles and swirls, wondering what they were. "They look backwards…" she said, but she didn't comment further as her eyes fell once again on the Doctor's neck. Using her smaller screwdriver, Rose applied a setting which caused the tiny thorn to come further out from her husband's neck. The Doctor collapsed, losing consciousness. Before Tanashire could react, Rose aimed her screwdriver at his neck….

XXXXXXXXX

A pair of dark, midnight blue eyes slowly opened. "Seems like I'm always on my back these days," the Doctor joked. He focused on his location, his eyes finally finding a familiar face. "_Rhy'an'a?" _he questioned. Rose smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Theta!" she exclaimed, hugging the Doctor. "Welcome back!"

"Back?" the Doctor queried, raising a brow. "Did I go somewhere?" The Doctor looked confused, seeing that he was in his own sick bay on board the TARDIS. He felt that he and Rose were stationary and remembered they were still on the planet Exerticon. He glanced around the room and spied a man who was unconscious in the other bed. Tanashire, his mind told him.

"You don't remember what happened?" Rose was inquiring. The Doctor rubbed his neck in exactly the same spot where the thorn in it had been. Memories came flooding back suddenly.

"A pain…the left side of my neck…" he mused, struggling to put the pieces of recent remembrances together. "A sharp object, like a thorn!" he shouted. Looking at himself, he saw that there were no wires or tubes connected to him. Bounding off the stretcher, the Doctor crossed over to the wooden table and saw a single tray with two small thorns on it. He whipped out his sonic screwdriver and scanned one of them.

"_Plat'nauk," _he confirmed.

"Like the ones we were injected with a few months ago?" Rose asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"Not exactly," he responded. "The ones we had inside us were more refined. The processed variety of this herb induces a relaxed, euphoric state." He held up one of the thorns, saying, "This one is in pure form. When the toxin it secretes reaches the victim's bloodstream, it deadens certain synapses of the brain, resulting in memory loss, much like when you feed on a victim."

Rose's eyes fell on Tanashire, commenting, "Which explains his failure to recognize us, just like you didn't remember anything."

"Quite," the Doctor said. He put the thorn in his hand under a microscope on the table, studying the composition of the sharp object. "I should be able to produce an antidote for Tanashire," the Time Lord pronounced. He busied himself about his lab, mixing various liquids in tubes and pouring them into a beaker.

Rose crossed her arms, crying impatiently, "I don't get it! Why didn't this stranger just have done with it and kill both of you? Bloody stupid of that git if you ask me!"

The Doctor held up a funnel shaped object and placed it on his Bunsen burner. "Actually, it's brilliant! Think about it, Rose. If our assailant murdered us, there would have been an inquiry which would eventually be traced back to him or her. This way, who's to say the loss of memory wasn't caused by the psychological trauma suffered after the capsule accident?"

The Gallifreyan took the tube off the burner and poured a purple liquid into a syringe.

"Inject this into him. It is an herbal derivative which should counteract the effects of the weed somewhat." the Time Lord commanded his wife. "That in turn will hasten the recovery along." He handed the syringe to Rose, who walked to the door.

"But surely I could use my powers," Rose protested. "I promise I'll be careful not to drain him too much."

The Doctor shook his head, saying, "And how successful have you been when you feed on someone who doesn't have enough mental synapses? Believe me, you were right before about not using your powers. They tend to have a more draining effect as you well know. If we use the antidote, he may recall something after he's cured that can aid us."

Rose didn't comment on that, but her face belied her irritation and hunger. "What about you?" she wondered. "Why didn't you need one?"

The Doctor tapped his head, saying, "Time Lord synapses. Removing the thorn was sufficient for me to process my memories and return me to my proper state. But for a humanoid who's not a Time Lord, they usually need additional help."

"But I'm _hungry_…" Rose whined. The Doctor's hand shot out to touch hers.

"Feed on me…" he responded.

Rose's mind joined her husband's, not enough to bond on him like he wanted; just enough to draw out the most basic of mental energies to sustain herself. A mere minute later, she grinned, satisfied. The Doctor frowned, but realized he needed her to attend to Tanashire. He pulled his hand from hers, and with it, reluctantly withdrew his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXX

While Rose attended to the tour guide in the med bay, the Doctor studied the screen in the console room that he'd looked at earlier, only this time, the view of the warehouse had changed to a list with information on the tourists in the capsule. Beside the list were photos of their capsule's occupants. Like the table, the writing didn't make any sense.

"Why is it in reverse?" the Doctor wondered.

The Gallifreyan male concluded that maybe his mind was still processing memories and commanded to the TARDIS, "Read off the list to me." The ship readily complied, and as she finished, the 906-year-old said thoughtfully, "Seems that Daynon is not the only one capable of undoing that door, but also our boy who asked about the temperatures," the Doctor replied, not looking up as his wife returned with Tanashire.

"Tell me, Tanashire," the Doctor inquired, moving slightly so that the guide could study the screen. "Is your contact any one of these?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "I remember my early childhood, where I graduated, my family, when I got my job, everything except who my contact is."

"Planned that way, no doubt, by you co-conspirator," the Doctor murmured. "Talk about having a bullet with your name on it."

"What about the voice you both heard later that evening before the meeting in the warehouse?" Rose wondered. The Time Lord pressed a button, checking the data on the modulated vocal chords belonging to the stranger the guide had conversed with who had hidden in the bushes.

"Still not a positive identification," the Doctor said, somewhat disappointed. "But the lines of the voice indicate a higher pitch, a strong sign that Tanashire's friend was more than likely feminine."

"A woman!" Rose cried excitedly. She glanced at the screen, which had changed back to the manifest of the passengers on the capsule.

_Thanks, old girl, _Rose responded mentally to the TARDIS. A chiming sound echoed inside her mind.

"Well, who do we have on our suspect list?" the Time Lady queried as she turned back to the Doctor and Tanashire.

Tanashire studied the profiles, his mind whirling as it struggled to process any recent memories of the meeting he had had that evening prior to seeing the Doctor in the old warehouse.

"I she was a younger woman, I think," Tanashire responded hopefully.

"That eliminates the older woman who was with our group, as well as Daynon and the younger man," Rose said.

"Not necessarily," the Doctor replied. "Daynon might be an accomplice." Rose glared at him. Her husband pulled her gently to the side.

"Rose, although I forbid it usually, maybe your ability _could _be helpful this time," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"Can you…I dunno…put him under a trance, or something?" the Doctor inquired. "Maybe a more relaxed state will cause him to rattle off something."

Rose shrugged, saying, "S' worth a try." Rose looked in Tanashire's direction. The tour guide's dark eyes found hers, and he didn't look away. Rose's eyes grew bigger and darker as she made contact.

After a moment, she told the Doctor, "It's done. I have initiated a condition where he cannot initiate speech, but he will respond to questions."

"Well done, Rose!" the Doctor praised. He leaned close to the guide and told Tanashire to open his eyes.

"Mmm…okay," the guide said, a dreamy expression crossing his face.

"I want you to recall when you last met your contact," the Doctor said. "Do you recall that meeting?"

Tanashire nodded slowly, murmuring, "Oh, certainly."

"What did she look like?" the Doctor asked, his voice steady.

"She?" Tanashire echoed, his brows slowly furrowing with confusion. "I don't know that my contact is a she; I don't know what she, or he, looks like." The guide laughed.

"Is there anything you can tell us?" Rose inquired. Tanashire laughed again and whistled a happy tune.

"Tanashire!" the Doctor exclaimed. "It could be important."

"All I know's my friend usually hides in the bushes, so I don't see," the guide told the couple. "That person talks to me with a distorted voice all the time, although…"

"What?" Rose wanted to know.

"I remember who introduced us," the guide said. "I thought that was odd that she would do that, I mean with her low rank and all, but we got to talking, and she handed me a piece of paper, then told me to meet her friend by the old warehouse one mornin'…". The guide started singing, "one mornin', one morning in May…"

The Doctor and Rose waited for Tanashire to stop singing. When he did, the Time Lord asked, "And then what? Who told you that and gave you the message?"

Tanashire snorted, slurring his next words. "Why, Bina, of course!" He said indignantly. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a glance. Rose commanded Tanashire to sleep.

When he was snoring away, the Time Lord said, "Looks like Bina's our next stop."


End file.
